Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik distributed Rs 3,000 to every registered street vendor of the state. The aid has been given as a livelihood support loss due to Covid-19. According to a statement by the Chief Minister’s Office, “As many as 1.01 lakh street vendors in 114 urban areas of the state have been provided Rs 3,000each as livelihood assistance”.

The street vendors have been provided Rs 6,000 each in two phases in March 2020 and June 2021 by the state government to secure their livelihood.

The Chief Minister also announced that vending zones would be set up to facilitate the business activities of these vendors in 87 cities. The state government will spend Rs 60 crore under ‘Mukta Yojana’, CMO informed.

The street vendors play an essential part in the economy of any city, Patnaik noted. Earlier this week, he had distributed special Covid assistance of Rs 6,000 for every registered newspaper hawker in the state.

Meanwhile, the Odisha Government has restricted the Christmas and New Year celebrations because of the current Covid-19 situation and its new variant, ‘Omicron’. The Covid-related restrictions will be effective from December 25 to January 2.